Liverpool have been warned they risk missing out on Xabi Alonso to Manchester United should they fail to change head coach this summer
MADRID, SPAIN - DECEMBER 07: Xabi Alonso, Head Coach of Real Madrid, reacts during the LaLiga EA Sports match between Real Madrid CF and RC Celta de Vigo at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on December 07, 2025 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
Liverpool legend Xabi Alonso is out of work after losing his job at Real Madrid(Image: Denis Doyle/Getty Images)
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Liverpool have been warned they risk missing out on Xabi Alonso to Manchester United if they don't hire a new head coach this summer.
And the Reds legend's former Spain team-mate, Fernando Llorente, believes Alonso could even be tempted by United, should the Red Devils turn to him this summer.
Liverpool have lost 17 times this term and are left fighting it out for a place in the top five of the Premier League with just six games left. As a result, speculation surrounds Arne Slot's future, as the current head coach enters the final year of his contract this summer.
United could be in the market for a new manager themselves, should interim boss Michael Carrick not be handed the role on a full-time basis after stepping in at the start of the calendar year.
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Alonso has been out of work since being relieved of his duties at Real Madrid in January, with the 2005 Champions League winner seen as a realistic option should club owners Fenway Sports Group look to replace Slot later this year.
Llorente, who played with Alonso for Spain between 2008 and 2013, thinks his former La Roja colleague would like the opportunity to take the job at Anfield.
"Knowing Xabi, I think he would prefer to manage Liverpool rather than Manchester United," Llorente told Hajper.
"But right now he is a coach without a team, and if Liverpool don’t need to change coaches and Manchester United do and they make him an offer, you never know.
"In football anything can happen, we’ve seen many coaches manage their former club’s rivals."
After a hugely decorated playing career with Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Spain, where he won 13 major honours, Alonso rose to prominence as a coach when he led Bayer Leverkusen to their first ever Bundesliga title in 2024 by going the entire campaign unbeaten in Germany.
The Reds are currently fifth in the Premier League table, which is the final Champions League qualifying spot, and three points behind third-placed Man United, going into Sunday's first-ever Merseyside derby against Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium.